Folia archeologica 35.
HUNTED MAMMALS IN THE ISTÁLLÓSKC5 CAVE 13 The blue hare can be regarded — as a hunted animal — of anthropogeneous origin. This is made probable by the only 2 % occurrence of its trunk bones (Table 3) in contradiction to the Pilisszántó Rock-shelter № I. where the occurrence of the trunk bones of the blue hare was of 72 %(!) 2 0 showing that those bones were transported there in hides — as the prey of predator birds. The above-mentioned 21 species from 53 % of the complete mammal list and number of their remains — 9700 pieces — is the 44,5 % of the total mammal bone remains (Table 3.). The cave bear is absolutely dominant among hunted mammals, its bone remains give the 88 % (8543 pieces!) of the whole culturezoological material while other hunted animals give only 12 % (1157 pieces!) of it. If we separate the 21 bone remains of those 6 species which can be regarded as rarities — namely Sus — 1, Bos — 1, Felis — 3, Meies — 4, Alces — 6, U. arctos — 6 (they are represented by less than 10 remains) — 15 species, with their 9679 bone remains (Table 2) are left. Leaving out cave bear (8543 pieces) the faunal composition of the hunted animal fauna is the following: 7 large size mammals — 367 pieces; and 7 medium sized mammals — 769 pieces. The alternation of layers of 6 large and medium sized herbivores is represented by F/g. 2. and Table 2. It is interesting that in Layer III and IV the advance of Rangifer is accompanied by the gradual decrease of Rupicapra. The occurrence of Capra, like that of Rupicapra is decreasing, too (Fig. 2., Table 2). Bos was found in only Layer I, Alces in Layer III and Equus in Layers III —IV. As regards Carnivores, in Layers I, III and IV wolf and fox are dominant. The occurrence of wolf is unchanged that of the fox culminated in Layer III. The closed forest (coniferous forest) Martes, Lynx and forest-steppe (?) cave lions show an increasing occurrence in Layers III —IV, while in the same layers steppe Putorius and cave hyaenas show a decreasing one (Table 2). Leaving out the remains of absolutely dominant cave bears the proportion of herbivores in the Layers III and IV slightly increased comparing to Layer I (27 %) but their ratio remained the same (31%, 31,60%). Carnivores culminate in Layer III (43,58 %) but they have a lower occurrence in Layers I and IV (32 %, 36,80 %). Blue hare has a high occurrence (41 %) in Layer I but in Layer III its occurrence decreases to a relative minimum (24,78 %), in Layer IV, however, it shows an increasing tendency again (32,20 %). The rather poor hunted animal fauna found in Layers V and VI consists of blue hare (52 %), reindeer (22 %), other herbivores (16 %) and only 10 % carnivores. Reindeer is dominant in Layer V while blue hare in Layer VI (Table 2). ANIMAL BUTCHERY, AND ITS RELEVANCE FOR THE PALEOECONOMY OF THE CAVE The Kretzoi method of analysis 2 1 of meal and butchery bone remains accumulated in occupation sites makes it possible for us to reconstruct the utilization and butchery of different hunted animals as well as the circumstances of their getting into the sites. í 0 Kormos, T., Földt.Int. Evk. 23(1915) 360—, 2 1 Kretzoi, M., op. cit. (1968) 230—,
